Needy Fund: Home repair debt left couple out in cold

Friday

When the oil tank in an elderly couple's Bourne home sprang a leak, they didn't think about whether or not they would qualify for some sort of fuel assistance.

When the oil tank in an elderly couple's Bourne home sprang a leak, they didn't think about whether or not they would qualify for some sort of fuel assistance.

Even though they were both 87 and on a fixed income, they went straight to a local store and bought a new tank — on credit.

Only a short time later, they learned that they could have received a new tank, given their age, for free. Now that they had bought a tank, they didn't qualify for any assistance, even though they had also spent more than $500 to clean up the spill and pump out the remainder of the oil.

So frightened was this couple by the debt they incurred to buy the new oil tank, that they were willing to cut down on their food budget to pay off their bills, the Cape Cod Times Needy Fund was told.

They also didn't have the means to install the new tank.

The Needy Fund is there for struggles like these. In this case, the fund paid for the installation so the couple could have a heated house.

There are many human service agencies offering assistance to those in need, but it is the Cape Cod Times Needy Fund that provides assistance for a host of immediate, short-term emergencies.

Since 1936, the Needy Fund has been helping individuals and families by using money raised through donations to pay for food, rent, mortgage payments, utility and heating bills, medical costs and other basic expenses.

The mission of the Needy Fund is to provide financial assistance to Cape residents for basic human needs.